New Reviews: Biography & Memoir

While a brief introduction to this audiobook is voiced by Dick Van Dyke himself, the balance is assigned to his friend Tom Bergeron. He does a remarkable, impeccable, and simply wonderful job, narrating with a rhythm and tonality similar to Van Dyke's. One might believe one is listening to the 100-year-old actor himself. In addition to talking about his life, Van Dyke also... Read More

Multiple AudioFile Earphones Award winner Barrie Kreinik offers a remarkable performance of Eva Le Gallienne's (1899-1991) first autobiography. Writing nearly 90 years ago, Le G tells the story of her rise as an actress, director, writer, producer, and founder of the Civic Repertory Theatre. Kreinik is so good that listeners will swear they're hearing the cultured, intelligent... Read More

Poet, novelist, activist, mother, mentor, embodiment of Canadian literature--the list of Atwood's achievements is remarkable. The two-time Booker Prize winner and doyenne of speculative fiction (the international phenomenon THE HANDMAID'S TALE) has many incarnations. She is also that rarity among writers: an excellent narrator. Now in her 80s, she has a tone with a hint of... Read More

A vast undertaking, Smith's second memoir bookends the decades before and after JUST KIDS, her earlier memoir. Her narration provides meaningful context to her life as a multidisciplinary artist. Her sharp memory of the textures of her childhood are almost Proustian, and one can distinguish the lyrics of HORSES coming together in the young Smith's juvenile poetry as she... Read More

Marni Penning brings cheerleader enthusiasm to this celebration of Claire McCardell, the pioneering early-twentieth-century American designer who thought women's clothes should be comfortable, as well as stylish. Maryland-born McCardell pioneered the kind of clothes we rely on today--ready-to-wear separates that can be mixed and matched into different outfits. She incorporated... Read More

Zosia Mamet delivers a refreshingly candid collection of essays that strike a balance between humor and vulnerability. Best known for playing Shoshanna on "Girls," Mamet brings the same sharp wit and emotional honesty to her writing and her narration. Her down-to-earth delivery makes the audiobook sound like a conversation with a friend who's not afraid to get real. The essays... Read More

First-generation Cuban American Frankie Corzo's own experience illuminates her narration of this story of the Cuban diaspora. Rosita, the author's grandmother, born and raised in Cuba, was forced into exile when her husband was deemed a threat to Fidel Castro. Sheppard traces Cuba's history from its "discovery" by Spain to Castro's rise to power. Through interviews with Rosita,... Read More

It's impossible to overstate the power of hearing Palestinian writer Plestia Alaqad narrating her diaries of life under Israeli occupation. Delivering her audiobook in her melodic Arabic accent is a remarkable act of resistance in a war in which journalists are routinely targeted. Alaqad rose to prominence at the age of 21 for her reporting during the first six weeks of the... Read More

Malala Yousafzai's story continues with an account of how she learned to balance her worldwide status and the tragedies she had lived through with her ongoing human rights activism and cultural beliefs. Listeners are given a front seat as she experiences freedoms unthinkable to any female in her native country of Pakistan while pursuing college studies at Oxford. Yousafzai's... Read More

Author Baconi is the best choice to narrate his memoir of family and political upheaval. The emotional undercurrent he projects suits a story spanning Haifa, Beirut, Amman, and London. His delivery gives clarity to the family history he recounts--his grandmother Eva's flight from Haifa in 1948, his mother Rima's escape from Beirut during the civil war, his own displacement, and... Read More

This audiobook profiles the first eight South Carolinians of color to serve in Congress. It's written by the ninth--but there was a gap of several decades between numbers eight and nine. The first eight included free Northern blacks who moved to South Carolina after the Civil War, native freedmen, and former slaves. Author Jim Clyburn chronicles their remarkable lives and... Read More

For the 40th anniversary of the movie "Back to the Future," actor Michael J. Fox describes his unique experience of playing two pivotal roles at the same time. He recounts how he worked around the clock to play Marty McFly in the movie and to continue as Alex P. Keaton in the television series "Family Ties." He also shares insights on the differences between TV and film acting.... Read More

Francesca Wade has clearly researched the work and times of Gertrude Stein, and she narrates her findings adeptly in this new biography. Stein was well known for her bohemian lifestyle; her talented and fascinating group of friends, including Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway; and her quixotic writing style. Wade's discoveries include the origins of Stein's writing style and the... Read More

In this beautiful memoir, a 50-something woman and a South Indian businessman/climate activist fall in love--both for the first time. He dies shortly after they become engaged but reappears in her life to help her find love again. The ensuing conversations couldn't have been performed by anyone but author Alison Larkin, a veteran narrator known for her exceptional performances... Read More

Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi at one of the most influential Reform synagogues in the country, tells her story with the same energetic, approachable delivery she employs in her public speaking. Her path to the rabbinate was anything but usual; Buchdahl was born in Seoul, South Korea, to an Asian Buddhist mother and a white Jewish father. Each biographical chapter of the... Read More

John Kasich, former governor of Ohio, congressman, and television commentator, does a splendid job narrating his profiles of people of faith who are making an impact in their communities. This work shows how individuals and groups of individuals can effect change in communities across America by doing various benevolent works through their churches, synagogues, or mosques.... Read More

Jen Jacob delivers an engaging narration of this memoir about author Anne Abel's unlikely transformation from debilitating depression to self-confidence through an unexpected love affair with rock music. The narrative is about how going to her first Bruce Springsteen concert at the age of 60 changed her life and sent her to Australia to follow his tour. Her travels and... Read More

Selby narrates their memoir of life as a wildland firefighter known as a "Hotshot." They explore the rampant sexism against female-bodied individuals in the male-dominated industry of wildlife firefighting, along with the shortsightedness of government policy toward fire suppression and containment. By narrating their own work, Selby ensures that their words are spoken just the... Read More

Now released from prison, former NSA linguist Reality Winner becomes all the more compelling with narrator Rachel Perry's measured performance. Perry captures Winner's earnest desire to be a patriot serving her country. It was Winner's passion for learning languages that led to her being awarded an Air Force Commendation Medal, though those actions gave her PTSD in the process.... Read More

Actor, writer, and producer Issa Rae narrates her memoir with conversational ease that suits the material. She offers a performance grounded in clarity, self-awareness, and an instinctive sense of timing. Shifting smoothly between anecdotes about creative ambition and reflections on personal growth, she creates a listening experience that feels measured, candid, and... Read More

Gerald Howard makes a strong case for Malcolm Cowley being one of the central figures in twentieth-century American literature: poet, ambulance driver in World War I, member of the Lost Generation, memoirist, critic, editor, and more. With the able assistance of Golden Voice narrator Robert Petkoff, this audiobook does much to bring Cowley to life. Petkoff doesn't attempt to... Read More

Roderick Sewell II--Paralympic athlete and Iron Man champion, motivational speaker, and disability advocate--shares his resilience and joy in his impactful memoir. Sewell's performance exudes calm strength as he talks about the myriad challenges he and his mother faced during his childhood in San Diego and Alabama in the 1990s. Their difficulties included struggling to afford... Read More

Arts journalist Tim Greiving offers a fascinating biography of the man some call the first truly cinematic composer, John Williams. Jonathan Todd Ross masterfully performs this challenging task. His narration is intimate, measured, and enthusiastically nuanced. Williams, best known for his scores for Steven Spielberg films, initially lent little of himself to Greiving's efforts... Read More

Obama candidly shares how she worked to define, control, and project her own identity as first lady by carefully choosing fashion collaborators who understood the pressures of public life and the scrutiny she faced. Farah Jasmine Griffin opens with a foreword that frames Obama's style within a historical and cultural context and highlights its lasting significance. Meredith... Read More

This audiobook is honest, accessible, and quietly inspiring with its portrayal of perseverance and reinvention. Greta Morgan writes about her rise in the music industry and and her heartfelt journey upon losing her singing voice to spasmodic dysphonia after a bout of COVID-19 in 2020. Becky Levi's narration supports the material with an amiable performance that suits Morgan's... Read More

Mark Malkoff enthusiastically delivers decades of research and candid stories about his idol--late-night television host and comedian Johnny Carson. Malkoff's behind-the-scenes look at the hard work and dedication of this cultural icon is thorough and engaging. Over the course of his tenure as host of "The Tonight Show" (1962-1992), Carson interviewed more than 25,000 guests... Read More

Only author Roy Wood Jr. could have imbued this narration with such empathy as he unflinchingly tells his life story, a cautionary tale for his newborn son. The comedian and actor recounts his complicated relationship with his own, mostly absent, father--a civil rights leader and respected radio announcer with another family who never divorced Wood's mother. She forced her... Read More

Chef and author Gabrielle Hamilton expertly narrates her memoir about her family of origin. The youngest of five children, she grew up with an aloof mother and a charming but absent father. Now middle-aged, Hamilton has been estranged from her mother for roughly 30 years. The suicide of her oldest brother, Jeffrey, prompted her to reconnect with her mother in hopes of... Read More

History as complex as that of 15th-century England, including the ending of the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of the Roses, requires a clear voice and precise diction. Esther Wane provides exactly that. This audiobook chronicles the lives of five queens--from Joan of Navarre, queen of Henry IV, through Anne, queen of Richard III. Wane works hard to concentrate on the women... Read More

Comedian Barry Rothbart found recordings of his late father detailing a second life and crimes he had committed. Rothbart recounts his experience of making this discovery. The production also includes clips of his own comedy recordings, clips from his shows, and conversations with his wife, friends, and father's associates about what he found. Rothbart and his associates speak... Read More

While not strictly autobiographical, much of Updike's work is drawn from his own life, so listening to his letters does inform how we read his fiction. It's also quite entertaining since he was, from adolescence, an excellent writer of letters, and a prolific one. In this audiobook the letters are read by his children, with assistance from a talented group of... Read More

Award-winning performer Cynthia Erivo narrates her own memoir in which she focuses on what it means to fully embrace yourself, even if others do not. Today, Erivo is beloved for her role as Elphaba in the film adaptation of the musical WICKED, but as a child she was frequently told she asked too many questions and to stop being "too much." Performing her story herself, Erivo... Read More

Christine Brown Woolley, one of the wives in TLC's "Sister Wives" series, bares her soul in this candid memoir about polygamous life, leaving behind what no longer serves you, and finding yourself in the broken pieces. In 2010, Woolley became a household name through the TV show, which broadcast episodes of the daily lives of an Apostolic United Brethren family, the Browns.... Read More

Narrator Chelsea Kwoka's bright, energetic performance creates an engaging listening experience centered on the pioneering women primatologists from the 1950s on who transformed primate research and inspired generations. Dr. Keriann McGoogan asks a central question: What drives high percentages of women into careers dedicated to the study of and advocacy for chimpanzees,... Read More

Multitalented biographer, journalist, and podcaster Gyles Brandreth has long been a fan of A.A. Milne--and was friends with Milne's son, Christopher Robin. Who better, then, to commemorate the 100th birthday of Winnie-the-Pooh with a view of childhood, Milne's family relationships, and shining moments from the Hundred Acre Wood? Though he covers Milne's many successes, at the... Read More

There's nothing easy about narrating Finch's memoir of his 20 summers spent in Burnside, a small town on the Newfoundland coast. Finch reflects on his conversations with the locals and the slow, almost imperceptible, changes in the community over the years. As narrator, Rick Adamson has to keep the story marching forward even though it feels like "Groundhog Day"--each summer is... Read More

Blind disability activist Molly Burke returns to narrate her second memoir, which is focused on feeling unseen in a sighted world. While this second effort mines territory similar to that in her earlier memoir, "It's Not What It Looks Like," there's more good information and inspiration. Burke's positive tone and down-to-earth personality make this a delightful listen. She's... Read More

This extensive, thoughtful, and well-researched biography of the martial arts great Bruce Lee smoothly draws the listener in. Lee was an enigma in some ways, and author Chang has captured his life, which was cut short at age 32. Narrator James Chen deftly uses slight shifts in his voice when delivering quotes. He maintains control of his tone, making shifts when appropriate but... Read More

Somewhat Dickensian and somewhat Shakespearean, Anthony Hopkins' memoir is a fascinating, articulate, and deeply moving listen. Actor Kenneth Branagh, Hopkins' close friend, movingly performs the memoir, sounding in timbre, tone, and nuanced pacing very much like the listener might imagine Hopkins to sound today. In this loosely chronological effort, Branagh brings listeners... Read More

Forty years after she wrote of her father's life in HOME BEFORE DARK, Susan Cheever, eldest daughter of renowned writer John Cheever, narrates her "sequel of sorts." Using the lens of her father's work, she analyzes and finds connections between his life and hers. Cheever's delivery gives equal weight to the strands she skillfully weaves. Excerpts from her father's literary... Read More